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Protecting ADC Inputs

Alan Walsh
Analog Devices, Inc.

A common issue that arises when designing an ADC circuit is how to
protect the ADC inputs from overvoltage. The protection of ADC inputs
has many scenarios and potential solutions. ADCs from all vendors have
similar needs in this respect. This article gives insight into what issues can
arise in the case of overvoltage, how it occurs, and potential remedies.
Overdrive of ADC inputs generally occurs when the rails of the driving
amplifier are significantly greater than the max input range of the ADC—
for example, if the amplifier runs from ±15 V and the ADC input is 0 V to
5 V. This is particularly common in industrial designs where high voltage
rails are used to accept ±10 V inputs and also power signal conditioning/
driver stages prior to the ADC, such as PLC modules. If a fault condition
occurs such that the driving amplifier rails, it can cause damage to the
ADC by exceeding its max rating or disturb simultaneous/subsequent
conversions in a multiADC system. This article will focus on how to protect
a precision SAR ADC like the AD798x family, but it can also be applied to
other ADC types.
Let’s consider the scenario in Figure 1.
+15 V
Potentially Integrated
Buffer
REF = 5 V
Voltage
Reference
In Figure 1, if the amplifier was to rail toward the +15 V rail, the protection
diode to REF will turn on and the amplifier will try to drag the REF node
up. If the REF node is not driven by a strong driver circuit, then the voltage
at the REF node (and input) will rise above the absolute maximum rated
voltage and the ADC may be damaged if the voltage exceeds the break-
down voltage of devices on that process. See Figure 3 for an example of
the ADC driver railing toward 8 V and overdriving the reference voltage
(5 V). Many precision references have no sink current capability, which is
a problem in this scenario. Alternatively, the reference drive circuit may be
strong enough to hold the reference close to its nominal value, but will still
be disturbed from its precise value.
In a simultaneous sampling multi-ADC system sharing the one reference,
the conversions on the other ADCs will be inaccurate, as the system
depends on a highly accurate reference voltage. Subsequent conversions
may also be inaccurate if the recovery time from the fault condition is long.
There are a few different approaches used to mitigate this issue. The most
common is to use Schottky diodes (BAT54 series) to clamp the output of
the amplifier to the range of the ADC. See Figure 2 and Figure 3 for an
illustration. It may also be possible to use diodes to clamp the input to the
amplifier if it suits the application needs.
REF = 5 V Optional

REF VDD +5 V
+15 V +5.6 V

REF VDD
IN+ +15 V

IN+
–15 V IN–

GND –15 V IN–

GND
Figure 1. Typical circuit diagram for a precision ADC design.

This circuit is representative of what we see in the AD798x (for example, Figure 2. Typical circuit diagram for a precision ADC design with Schottky diode
the AD7980) family of PulSAR® ADCs. There are protection diodes between and Zener diode protection added.
the input, the reference, and the ground. These diodes are capable of
In this case, the Schottky diodes are chosen for their low forward voltage
handling high currents of up to 130 mA, but only for a few milliseconds­—
drop, such that they turn on before the internal protection diodes in the ADC.
not for longer periods or repeated overvoltage. On some products, like
The series resistor after the Schottky diodes also helps limit the current
the AD768x/AD769x (for example, the AD7685, AD7691) family of parts,
into the ADC if the internal diodes turn on slightly. For extra protection, if the
the protection diodes are to the VDD lead instead of the REF. On these
reference has little to no sink current capability, a Zener diode or clamp
parts, the VDD voltage is always greater than or equal to REF. Generally
circuit could be used on the reference node to guarantee the reference
this works better as VDD is a stiffer rail for clamping and is not as sensi-
voltage cannot be pulled too high. In Figure 2, a 5.6 V Zener diode is
tive to disturbance.
used for a 5 V reference.

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 2 Protecting ADC Inputs

Figure 3. Yellow = ADC input, purple = reference. Left is without Schottky diodes and the right is with Schottky diodes.

Figure 4. Yellow = ADC input, green = ADC driver input, purple = reference (ac coupled). Left image without
Schottky diodes. Right image with Schottky diodes (BAT54S) added.

An example is shown in Figure 4 of the effect on the reference input These approaches solve any issue with overdriving the input, but the
(5 V) of adding Schottky diodes to the ADC input when overdriving the trade-off will be limited input swing and range to the ADC because of the
ADC input with a sine wave. The Schottky diodes are connected to the amplifier’s headroom and footroom requirements. Typically, a rail-to-rail
ground and a 5 V system rail capable of sinking current. Without the output amplifier can get within 10s of mVs of the rail, but it is also
Schottky diodes, there is a reference disturbance when the input exceeds important to consider input headroom requirements, which can be 1 V
the reference and ground by a diode drop. As can be seen, the reference or more, as this will limit the swing further in a buffer and unity-gain
disturbance is completely removed with the Schottky diodes. configuration. This approach offers the simplest solution in terms of no
additional protection components needed but depends on having the correct
Attention needs to be paid to the reverse leakage current of the Schottky
supply voltage and possibly a rail-to-rail input/output (RRIO) amplifier.
diodes, as this may introduce distortion and nonlinearity during normal
operation. This reverse leakage is very temperature dependent and is +5 V
Potentially Integrated
generally specified in the diode data sheet. A good option is the BAT54
Buffer
series of Schottky diodes (2 μA max at 25°C, ~100 μA at 125°C). REF = 4.096 V
Voltage
Reference
A way of eliminating overvoltage issues completely is to use a single-
supply rail for the amplifier. This means the driving amplifier can never REF VDD
swing below ground or above the max input voltage if the same supply
level is used as for the reference voltage (max input voltage), which is 5 V IN+
in this example. It may be possible to use the reference circuit to supply
the amplifier directly if it has sufficient output current and drive strength.
IN–
Another possibility, as shown in Figure 5, is to use a slightly lower
reference value (for example, 4.096 V when using a 5 V rail), resulting in GND
significantly reduced voltage overdrive capability.
Figure 5. Typical circuit diagram for a single-supply precision ADC design.
 Visit analog.com 3

The series R in the RC filter between the amplifier and the ADC input can
also be used to limit the current seen at the ADC input during an overvolt- About the Author
age condition. However, this will be a trade-off between current limiting
Alan Walsh [alan.walsh@analog.com] is an applications engineer
and ADC performance. Larger series R will give better input protection
at Analog Devices. He joined ADI in 1999 and works in the Precision
but result in greater distortion in the ADC performance. This may be an
Converters Applications Group in Wilmington, Massachusetts. He
acceptable trade-off, especially if the input signal bandwidth is low or the
graduated with a B.S. in electronic engineering from University
ADC is not being run at the full throughput rate, as more series R can be
College Dublin.
tolerated in this case. The size of R acceptable for the application can be
determined experimentally.
As discussed earlier in the article, when protecting the ADC input there is
no silver bullet solution, but depending on the application requirements, Online Support
different individual or combined approaches may be taken to give the Community
desired level of protection with corresponding performance trade-offs. Engage with the
Analog Devices technology experts in our online support
community. Ask your tough design questions, browse FAQs,
or join a conversation.

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